The renowned Dan Swanö has mixed and mastered this old school death metal album at Unisound so the sound is top rate, gnarly and drenched in gooey bass and drum slime from the off, which eventually starts with “The Battalion Of Insanity” after an intro that suspiciously sounds like a Nile one. However Nile is buried into the sand so to speak with a cavernous drum onslaught of double kick and a vocal bellow quite close to Martin Van Drunen (Asphyx) and maybe even Marc Grewe (Morgoth). The old school death metal influence is early Grave for the most part though the other big Swedeath players aren’t far away with hints of God Dethroned being added for the melodies too.
“Pestilential” has a good thrash opening riff before adopting a variable pace without blasting fully. Some US styled thuggery similar to Immolation appears on “Nocturnal Frags” as this tune threatens to destabilise your space-time continuum with some monstrously heavy drumming. The catchy riff in the middle is abominably brilliant I have to say. The infectious opening riff of “Morbid Infection” is ghoulishly great as the double kick infestation spreads uncontrollably and has traits of Amon Amarth, especially on the guitar hooks. The gnarly “Scene Of Crime” is plain groovy (as Ash would say in the Army Of Darkness movie) with relentless bass lines driving through the song like a slow moving penetrating drill. The title track has a slower thunderous thump to start it off that is highly reminiscent of Immolation, yet again, with a turgid syrupy deep tone intermingled with blast sections and riff changes. The midway riff is awesome as well and would fit very well on any Asphyx album from the 90s, The drop in pace to the solo is genius and believe me when I say the tone and structure of it reminded me of very old Katatonia.
The gargantuan finale tune is “Bury Your Dead” a seven minute slugfest with a cracking opening riff and bass kick that seems to have been amplified ten fold. The tom fills work so well with grinding guitar work and subsequent double bass volley. The tune is very like Grave from their “You’ll Never See” album or “Into The Grave” for that matter but without cloning ever. An exceptional song to end an album that does what you want it to, with pummelling drum work, biting gritty guitar riffing and solos, earth shaking bass lines and vocals that will make deathcore bands scurry away like frightened vermin.
(8.5/10 Martin Harris)
Leave a Reply